3 years ago everyone was calling for Norv Turner to be fired because of the Chargers’ tendency to have strong regular seasons and then choke in the playoffs every year. I bet the Chargers would trade the last three years for that. Over the last 3 years, the Chargers have begun their underachieving earlier, missing the playoffs in all 3 seasons.

On one hand, things are looking up. Norv Turner was finally fired, as well the architect of this mess, GM AJ Smith. On the other hand, Philip Rivers, once one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL, has regressed mightily over the last 2 seasons. It’s tough to tell why. It’s possible that the 31-year-old quarterback aged early like Carson Palmer. It’s also possible that a lack of offensive supporting cast is to blame. The Chargers will have to focus on the offense this offseason to try to get something out of Rivers, but it wouldn’t shock me if Rivers were throwing for 4000 yards on a 4-12 Raiders team in 3 years. Just saying.

Offensive Tackle

Darren Sproles. LaDainian Tomlinson. Kris Dielman. Marcus McNeill. Vincent Jackson. Antonio Gates. Philip Rivers once had great offensive talent around him on the ground, through the air, and on the line. Of those 6, only Gates remains and he’s a shell of his former shelf and the guys the Chargers replaced them with are pathetic. Ryan Mathews and Ronnie Brown take over LT’s and Sproles’ roles at running back. Tyronne Greene and Mike Harris start on the line in place of Dielman and McNeill. Vincent Jackson is gone, replaced by Malcom Floyd and Danario Alexander. You can’t adequately judge what kind of quarterback Philip Rivers is at this stage of his career in these circumstances. Only a few quarterbacks in the NFL would be able to make anything out of this mess.

The offensive line is the worst. AJ Smith had been the GM since 2004 and he only once used a pick higher than the 3rd round on the offensive line and it showed as they had no depth when injuries hit Marcus McNeill and Kris Dielman, who had to retire early. Left tackle McNeill retired early because of neck problems, while right tackle Jeromey Clary has always been a liability. It’s fine to have one weakness on the offensive line like Clary, but he was actually the better of the two starting tackles this season.

Jared Gaither was given a significant contract after 5 starts with the team last off-season, but he predictably couldn’t stay healthy and didn’t play a snap, forcing undrafted rookie Mike Harris to start on the left side. Making just 12 starts because of injury, Harris still managed to grade out dead last among eligible tackles on ProFootballFocus. As a result, the Chargers ranked 31st in the NFL in pass block efficiency, even worse than Arizona and only ahead of Indianapolis. They need at least one new starter here, if not two. Eric Fisher will be considered at 11 in the NFL Draft.

Guard

You can’t just blame the tackles for this horrific offensive line. Tyronne Greene and Rex Hadnot split starts at left guard in the absence of retired Kris Dielman and neither played well. Right guard Louis Vazquez, meanwhile, was their only offensive lineman who played well this season. The problem is he’s a free agent. He’ll obviously need to be re-signed. I don’t want to see what this offensive line would look like without him.

Cornerback

Starting cornerbacks Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason are both free agents, but neither one of them played well this past season. Jammer’s best days are well behind him as he turns 34 in June, while Antoine Cason has been up and down in his career since going in the 1st round in 2008, but he picked a bad year to be down as this was his contract year. Even if he returns as a starter, they need a replacement for Quentin Jammer, to go with Marcus Gilchrist, a promising nickel back, and Cason long term.

Rush Linebacker

The Chargers need a bookend long term for 2012 1st round pick Melvin Ingram. Jarret Johnson and Shaun Phillips are both heading into their age 32 seasons. The former isn’t much of a pass rusher, as his strength is stuffing the run, while Phillips is a free agent this off-season. Meanwhile, Antawn Barnes proved his random 11 sack performance in 2011 was a complete fluke. He had just 3 this season and barely played down the stretch.

Running Back

Unsurprisingly, after firing Norv Turner and AJ Smith, a report came out that the Chargers weren’t as high on Ryan Mathews’ upside as they were when they took him 12th overall in 2010. Turner and Smith had big plans for him, but that didn’t get them very far. He managed just 184 carries because of injuries and averaged just 3.7 YPC when he did play. Mathews actually had a strong season in 2011 when paired with another back so they should add a compliment for him and insurance since he gets hurt so much. He’s clearly not the lead back they thought he was.

Middle Linebacker

Takeo Spikes may have played his last NFL snap. No one would be shocked if he hung them up. Even if he returns, he’ll be 37 in 2013. They need a successor. Jonas Mouton was a 2nd round pick of the old regime in 2011, but he’s played just 5 snaps in 2 seasons, so it’s unlikely he’s seen as a long term solution, especially with a new regime coming in.

Quarterback

Right now, I don’t think Philip Rivers is the problem. It’s his supporting cast. They should focus on adding talent around him rather than adding competition for him. The goal should be to determine Rivers’ future as the quarterback of the Chargers by the off-season after the 2014 season, when they’ll have to cut him, owed 15.75 million in a contract year, or sign him to a long-term extension into his mid-30s. However, adding a developmental quarterback through the draft isn’t a bad idea just in case he really is Carson Palmer 2.0.

3-4 Defensive End

Jon Gruden is physical incapable of saying anything bad about anyone, so I got a kick out of how he described Vaughn Martin during the 2011 season, saying something along the lines of “once this guy learns how to play, he’s going to be an excellent football player.” That’s not inaccurate, but he doesn’t seem to have learned how to play, struggling in every season as a rotational 3-4 defensive end. He’s a free agent this off-season and the Chargers should bring in another guy to rotate with Kendall Reyes and Corey Liuget, as well as to move inside at times and spell nose tackle Cam Thomas. Aubrayo Franklin is also a free agent this off-season.

Kicker

Nick Novak is a free agent who will need to be retained or replaced if he’s not brought back.

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